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Seven & S7 Day Four: Colorado's Corvette'd Miatas

1 of 13Tanner spent years shoehorning this small-block into his MGB GT.

Photo by Blake Z. Rong

2 of 13Note the Daisy wheels, stock from a Miata! Not a single moving part is from MG.

Photo by Blake Z. Rong

3 of 13Owner Bill Cardell keeps his junk in the back, said Tanner. BMW 2002 shell in the way back.

Photo by Blake Z. Rong

4 of 13Bill's Westfield, with a turbo Miata 1.8. Flyin' Miata is the exclusive US Westfield dealer.

Photo by Blake Z. Rong

5 of 13"This is the soul of the Mazdaspeed," said Tanner. Right in this valve cover.

Photo by Blake Z. Rong

6 of 13Springs on springs on springs.

Photo by Blake Z. Rong

7 of 13Meet Igor, a Miata sporting the FM II turbo kit and body panels from six cars.

Photo by Blake Z. Rong

8 of 13Flyin' Miata is surrounded by vineyards. This car's color is "Merlot." Coincidence?

Photo by Blake Z. Rong

9 of 13"Finally, a Miata with balls," said Tanner.

Photo by Blake Z. Rong

10 of 13Just a man and his rad roadster.

Photo by Blake Z. Rong

11 of 13Overwhelmed by all this Corvette-powered excitement, the S7 takes a breather in the woods.

Photo by Blake Z. Rong

12 of 13In scenic Central City, home to The Face on the Barroom Floor. (Look it up.)

Photo by Blake Z. Rong

13 of 13Sadly, Doc Holliday Casino closed in June.

Photo by Blake Z. Rong

Keith Tanner held up a red Mazdaspeed valve cover, cradling it like a newborn child. "You can do anything to a Mazdaspeed as long as it has its red valve cover," he said. "You can bore it out, put a huge turbo on it, whatever. But as soon as you put a V8 in it, all the Mazdaspeed people say you've desecrated the car, you've ruined it!"

Mazda only made about 5,000 Mazdaspeed Miatas over the course of two years. Sure, they're rare, and they're quick in stock form, and a bigger turbo is a fun upgrade. But understand this, dear reader: there are few things in life that can't be improved with the addition of a small-block Chevy.

That's one of the things Tanner will do for you at Flyin' Miata, one of the pre-eminent Miata tuners and suppliers. Since they introduced the V8 conversion package in 2009, Tanner estimates that 19 people have driven or hauled Miatas to its Palisade, Colo., shop for V8 injection. Today the shop is working on a first-generation Miata with a full cage and some seriously trick bits. "That owner's gonna have so much fun," said Tanner.

Tanner moved to Colorado from his native Ottawa 11 years ago to work at Flyin' Miata; his accent still slips in from time to time. He is a big proponent of the LSx motor: among his collection of modest machinery is an MGB GT with an LS1 and a T56 Tremec gearbox in it -- which took two years and the replacement of any part that moved with something that didn't have an MG stamp on it. (The rear end is from an S10 Blazer, for example, with a Camaro differential. The front end is off a Miata. So is the steering rack. And the wheels.) His Targa Newfoundland car is also V8-powered, but is currently undergoing another transplant -- instead of the bastardized L33 with LS6 heads powering the Martini-liveried race car, it's getting an LS3 with something close to 525 hp. "More torque," he said, rubbing his hands gleefully.

So, Flyin' Miata knows a thing or two about putting Chevrolet engines where they don't belong. I spent my lunch break from the road driving a 2004 and a 2009 model, both armed with LS3s. After a meditation chamber like the Audi S7, it's good to drive with the top down, hearing the brapping and braying of a hot-cammed small-block echoing off the hills of Uncompahgre. It's the most disconcerting experience to look down at a Miata interior -- my Miata interior -- and hear what amounts to a raucous, unvarnished Grand Sport Le Mans racer emanating from the custom rear pipes. Tanner did a few burnouts in the newer Miata ("because the NB has so much traction, it locked up and nearly hit a photographer," he confessed).

Expect a full story on the Miatas soon.

And then I got back into the S7, headed east, and just about tore out all that hair that had been blowing in the wind.

Five under the 35mph speed limit is a frustration relatable to anyone. Photo by Blake Z. Rong

Oh, Colorado! Heaven in your scenery, hell in your drivers. Maybe it's because of the recently passed marijuana legislation. Maybe there's not enough oxygen at this altitude flowing to the impatience cortex of the brain. But everybody in Colorado performs their civic duty by driving the actual, posted speed limit -- a unique phenomenon seen nowhere else! Young and old, rich and poor, Lexus or Toyota, there they are: dawdling across some of the most beautiful scenery and some of the best roads in the country, as if spooked by invisible drones. Around town, no one seems to be in a hurry either -- yoga class can wait, man, and oh look, a homeless man playing "Tiny Dancer" on a Baldwin upright piano he's managed to wheel into the middle of Pearl Street!

The horror. The horror.

At least the Central City Parkway, off I-70, has the good sense to have two lanes -- in case former Bad Company vocalist Brian Howe performs at the Reserve Casino and they have to call in the SWAT team to manage the legions of fans streaming up the mountain.

But CO-119 -- man! Beautiful undulating corners, tight hairpins, driving nirvana -- and no passing zones, no turnouts, no two-lane sections, except, you know, in the other lane. Come visit scenic Colorado! You'll have more time to enjoy the wilderness when stuck behind a Honda Pilot doing 5 under the speed limit. I did, for 20 miles. I swore, I hopped up and down, I said things I wasn't proud of. The scenery was truly beautiful here in the forest, soaring rocks jutting upwards like Gothic cathedrals. I had plenty of time to gawk.

Blake Z. Rong
- Associate editor Blake Z. Rong has been with Autoweek since 2012 as an Associate Editor in Los Angeles. He drove his Mazda Miata across the country and believes that no man needs a car any larger or faster. Well, ok, faster, certainly.
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